It Always Starts Right Now

The dream is not to live clutter-free just so your house will be tidier -- it's to live as the best possible expression of your truest self, which is easier to do when you get all that clutter out of your way.

There is no "failure" in clutter-clearing. Each day, each moment, just start where you are, and see if you can become one little bit freer and clearer in whatever way is appropriate to your day. So what if you have fallen a little behind where you were last week? If you can make a small step forward right now, that's progress today.

"I've been working at organizing my patterns into a format that will be easy for me to find them. I was able to take over 6 file drawers worth of craft patterns and drop it down to just 2."
~ Clutter-Free Forever! support group member

Keep the Momentum Going

Make an effort to move stuff out of the house within 48 hours of the time that you decide to let it go. Too often clutter moves from the drawer or closet only as far as the back hall or the garage, where it sits for weeks waiting for someone to get around to taking it to the dump, recycling center, or thrift store.

Making lots of smaller trips to local charity shops may not be the most time- or energy-efficient, but it will help you see progress more quickly and will free up the energy in your home a lot faster than waiting until you're "done" (whenever that might be) so you can handle it all at once.

Keep up the momentum.

"I filled a huge dumpster and four trash bags with junk and toys from my daughter's room, and I loaded three years of scrapbooking magazines into the car to drop off at the scrapbook store."
~ Clutter-Free Forever! support group member